Americans in Paris
French Listening Comprehension
Study Guide

Take a look at the following for help with any French vocabulary and grammar that you might not have understood in Americans in Paris, then take the test.
  

Vocabulary		Grammar Lessons
accueillant	welcoming	ceux, celles - demonstrative pronouns
la croisée	crossroads	a été rénové, ont été construits - passive voice
diurne	diurnal, relating to the daytime
la finition	completion
jour vs journée	day
un préjugé	prejudice, bias
la réfection	repairing, rebuilding
la repère	landmark, reference
la signalétique	signposting, signaling
valoriser	to value, increase the prestige/status of
Notes
Haussman	Georges Eugène Haussman was the prefect, or governor, of the Paris region who was charged by Emperor Napoleon III with modernizing a city that in the mid-19th century had changed little since medieval times. He rushed through a massive demolition and construction program that opened up the city around several major road axes and improved hygiene and safety. His methods, however, were hotly contested: many householders received little recompense for the loss of their assets, while others amassed fortunes by speculating in the new property.
Musée des Arts premiers	It's technically called the Musée du Quai Branly, precisely to prevent controversy over terms like "primitive" and "primary arts." The museum opened in mid-June after ten years of planning and at a cost of $300 million. It is very much the child of Jacques Chirac, who has made cultural diversity in a globalized world a theme of his presidency. Situated just upriver from the Eiffel Tower, the museum houses some 300,000 tribal artifacts - masks, figurines, trophies, musical instruments - from Africa, Oceania, Asia, and the Americas. Most of these were previously in two other Paris museums: the Museum of Mankind and the Museum of African and Oceanic Arts. The Quai Branly aims to become one of the must-sees on the Paris tourist trail, but it is not without its critics; this and other aspects will be covered more fully in a future edition of Champs-Élysées.
Museums and galleries	The museums and galleries listed here are all in the same area of western Paris, in the 16th and 8th arrondissements. The Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine is to open in 2007 in a wing of the Palais de Chaillot, the grandiose 1937 construction that looks across to the Eiffel Tower. The palace also houses the Marine and Mankind Museums. The newly opened, ultramodern aquarium is in the Trocadéro gardens, below the palace. The Guimet museum is a collection of Asian art, and the Fondation Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent is dedicated to haute couture. The City of Paris Modern Art is in the Palais de Tokyo, alongside the Contemporary Arts Center.
Tours Eiffel, Montparnasse	Since Paris has very few high-rises, the handful that exist are good landmarks. The Tour Montparnasse is the ugly office block above the railroad station in the 14th arrondissement, and the Concorde Lafayette is a monumental hotel at the Porte Maillot, on the western edge of the capital. Regulations dating from 1974 prevent the construction of buildings above 31 meters (101 feet). The result is a city that feels remarkably open, despite the lack of undeveloped space. Some people have attempted to change the rules, mainly to provide cheaper housing, but the latest urban-development plan, which City Hall approved in June, keeps the limitations in place.

  

Americans in Paris  part 1  part 2 French Listening Comprehension Exercise
Listen		Study		Test
Transcript          Translation
Sound files and transcript were originally published in Champs-Élysées audiomagazine (read my review) and are used with the permission of Champs-Élysées, Inc.
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